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Miata vs M roadster

Hello All,

I'm in the market for my first toy and have it narrowed down to a used M roadster or a 09 miata.
Anyone here ever own a miata? Is there anything you miss about it?
I'll be joining a club so I can track/autocross the car, only driving it for fun, maybe 5K a year.
I only have one shot at this so I can't mess it up.

Which Miata are you thinking about buying?

Re: What are we comparing

I'm thinking about an 09 with a six speed and recaros. Will probably be around 25K, add the cosworth supercharger 6K, suspension 2K, Volks 2K and boom, same price as the 06 M Roadster. The only thing I would do to the M is get new wheels.

My problem with the M Roadster is it may be too much on the street. Is everyone having fun running around in the M without being able to push it?

I sure fit better in the BMW. Having an M in the garage would be very cool, probably much cooler than an built Miata.

Re: This is a joke?

WOW, how could you even compare? Not only is the Z much superior, you also have to look at the construction and safety features. I would feel more secure in the Z than the tinny Miata. Hey, just my thoughts. Good Luck.

Re: Oh duh. I musta been tired.

I owned two Miatas...

...an original generation NA and second generation NB MazdaSpeed. I now have an '07 3.0si (not an M, I know).

The Miata will be more fun to drive. Period. The lighter weight and lower power will allow you to "get on it" more often without getting in to trouble. If you look closely, the current generation Miata matches a lot of the Z4 features (including the @#$%^ runflat tires). The '09 will have a new-car warranty but it is unlikely you will need it as Miatas are very reliable. For '09 they claim to have tightened up the suspension a bit.

The Z4 is larger, roomier and (the M especially) much more torquier. You will want to find one with as much warranty still in force as possible. Unlike Mazda, all regular maintenance is included during the warranty period. Once the warranty expires, maintenance costs will be higher than the BMW. Even though I bought my Z4 used, it has already depreciated more in 6 months than my MSM (bought new) did in 4 years.

Why did I get the Z4? In a word - room. I am spoiled with having a roadster and the Miatas were fun but middle-aged spread caught up with me to the point where the relatively cramped Miata interior was unpleasant to sit in for any length of time. The Bimmer's extra power doesn't hurt either :-). I assure you I did not buy it for the pretentions of a "German" car and it certainly wasn't a joke.

If you are 5'8" or shorter, I would give the Miata serious consideration. If you are 6'0 or over then look for a good Z4.

Well, you seem to have gotten one legit answer.

And it seems the same person was the only one that bothered to really read what you were asking. That be keeton.

The Miata is a very fine car. Well built, well balanced, incredibly affordable to own, and even more affordable to maintain. Hell, if I'm not mistaken you can blow the engine and only be set back ~$2500. As an autox car, it compares more than favorably to the Z4 and even against an MZ4 it would come down to the driver. I've seen Miatas beat both handidly at our autox's.

As far as your question re how the MZ4 handles on the street, I wish I could give you an apples-to-apples comparison, but I have an MZ4 Coupe, not the roadster. But if it matters, I do sometimes wonder if I shouldn't have stayed with the 3.0 Z4 Coupe. Before I purchased I'd read reviews, even Roundel's, that opinioned the 3.0 liter would make a much better city/daily driver than the M variant, and now having had opportunities to drive the 3.0, I think I have to say they were probably right. I don't necessarily regret my choice, but I do agree with them that the 3.0 is better suited to daily driver status than the M. I really don't think a similar comparison using the roadsters would be all that different, but I'll accept that it might.

All that said, I'm really not sure what I'd do if I were you, but I know I wouldn't be throwing all that money at a new Miata. That just doesn't make sense to me. No offense, but I'd imagine that like with most people, if you're new to autox the Miata is already more capable as a car than you the driver. If you're not new to autox, then that point is moot. Not enough can be said for driver training being more important than how many hp you have under the hood. And as far as getting it on a track, I would think it's bound by the same rules that prohibit Z4's and MZ4's from getting track time, unless you want to start adding roll cages and such. So to begin with, you might want to check where you could take a non-rollcaged roadster in your area.

My best suggestion is to sit down and rethink what you really want to do with the car versus what you see yourself REALLY doing with the car. Fancying yourself as the greatest F1 driver in the world is great fun, but if you end up only using the car to fetch groceries or get to work, then you may find you've bought the wrong car for your needs.

Re: Well, you seem to have gotten one legit answer.

Roger,

Very interesting post, thanks. As far as tracking the car, there are several sources that sell/install proper roll bars that extend "above" the driver's helmet. The Miata clubs in the Delaware Valley are always getting track events together at Pocono and the new racetrack in S. Jersey [Thunderbolt, I think]
As far as throwing money at the Miata, you're absolutely right, it doesn't make sense. That's why I looked at the "total price" and started to comparison shop at that price.

I've only autocrossed once, but really dug it. My oldest son turns 16 soon and as time moves forward I plan on autocrossing/tracking taking the place of snowboarding, keeping the bonding and all going.

I'll figure it out, but not until I drive the M and new Miata back to back.